9 minute read
Why we love
W hy we lo ve. . . CLEOBURYCLEOBURY MORTIMER
ANDY RICHARDSON CONTINUES HIS SERIES BY EXPLORING THE SMALL TOWN AND ITS SURROUNDING ATTRACTIONS
It’s often overlooked. Cleobury Mortimer, the small-but-perfectlyformed market town in South Shropshire, doesn’t have the lure of Ludlow. It’s not got the same historic appeal, nor magnificent architecture. Nor, indeed, does it have the hustle and bustle of a town like Bridgnorth.
There’s not the winding river, the cluster of independent shops, nor the strong connection with bigger towns and cities not far off.
Yet Cleobury Mortimer is one of the Shropshire towns that’s worthy of greater investigation. Located perfectly between the big city – Birmingham –and the small rural idyll – Ludlow – it is delightful and delicious. Surrounded by majestic countryside, a stone’s throw from Clee Hill with magnificent, sweeping views across mile upon mile of farmland, Cleobury combines history and vibrant countryside, a strong sense of identity with a can-do community spirit.
While its history isn’t as close to the surface as that in a town like Ludlow, or Shrewsbury, it exists, nonetheless.
The town was granted a market charter by Henry III in 1226 and has thrived ever since.
Its name appears to have been inspired by its topography, with ‘clifu’, meaning a steep place, being adapted to Cleobury.
Mortimer comes from Ranulph de Mortimer of Normandy to whom the land was granted after the Norman conquest.
He founded the Mortimer dynasty of Marcher Lords who held power in the Welsh Marches throughout the Middle Ages and were closely involved with power struggles with successive English monarchs and other powerful Lords. Cleobury has a significant entry in the Domesday Book, and the vicinity was the location of at least two castles.
Cleobury Castle was situated near St Mary’s Church, was destroyed in 1155 and only earthworks remain today.
The town developed industry through the years, though was bedevilled by poor transport links, with no rivers, canals or long-lasting railway connections, given the challenging terrain and a height of between 110m and 150m above sea level. Yet the town remained popular, particularly with writers.
Two literary figures have strong connections with Cleobury: William Langland and Simon Evans.
William Langland of Cleobury Mortimer is commemorated in the East Window of St Mary’s Church.
Below: The plaque outside the old Cleobury Mortimer Post Office honouring Simon Evans, who was gassed during the First World War, so to aid his recovery, he accepted a job as a rural postman in Cleobury Mortimer. Photo:DrPaulMinton
Right: Simon outside the post office. Photo:EdwinaGuest
Cleobury Mortimer Golf Club.
Langland, a contemporary of Geoffrey Chaucer, is believed to have been born in the vicinity in the 14th century, and is commemorated in the very fine and intricate (Victorian) East Window of St Mary’s Church, as well as in a local road name.
Simon Evans is a 20th-century writer, who fought throughout the First World War, and suffered from being gassed. He had been a postman on Merseyside before the war, and after the war sought a rural postal round, to soothe both nerves and body.
Cleobury suited him well; there he blossomed, took a correspondence course in English, and became a successful writer and radio broadcaster in the 1930s. Heath Cranton published five of his books, and he married ‘Auntie Doris’ (Aldridge), a radio performer, but his new life was cut short in 1940, when the effects of the gassing finally caught up with him.
His legacy is visible in the naming of a local street, a plaque on the old Post Office, and a dedicated local walk – The Simon Evans Way – which the CM Footpath Association has created in recent years.
The town is tucked between the Clee Hills (Titterstone Clee and Brown Clee Hill) and the Wyre Forest, surrounded by panoramic views and wonderful walks in Cleobury Country. It can be accessed directly from Ludlow town centre via the long distance footpath, the Mortimer Trail or the Severn Way extension all the way to Bewdley.
Cleobury’s St. Mary’s Church has a crooked spire and walls that lean at an alarming angle and the main street
FROM TOP: The view from Clee Hill; abandoned buildings related to past quarry activity on Clee Hill; Hobsons Brewery serves many of the pubs in Cleobury Mortimer.
PAGE 43 FROM TOP: Cleobury Mortimer High Street; St Mary The Virgin Church.
curves gently down to the River Rea. The interior is not for those of nervous disposition with Betjemen observing: “The whole church seems to have slipped out of shape. Inside there isn’t a straight arch or doorway.”
The church guide explains: “A prominent feature is the leaning of the walls and pillars, probably resulting from a combination of a badly tied roof at one period and ground movement” but local hero Thomas Telford, one of England’s most famous engineers, stabilised the building in 1790.
Cleobury Mortimer’s High Street was once described by English poet Sir John Betjeman as “A long airy curving street of brick Georgian houses and shops interspersed with genuine halftimber, the Rea Brook making a splash at the bottom of the hill.”
There are many pubs in Cleobury Mortimer; including those that serve Cleobury’s own beer from the Hobson’s Brewery, one of Shropshire’s best real ales. There are also real butchers and bakers, a florist and traditional ironmongers and a well-stocked greengrocer. Look out for the cakes and the Shropshire brown loaves, from the ‘highest bakery in Shropshire’ at the top of Clee Hill (the highest bakery in Shropshire and probably the UK too.)
There are many ways to enjoy a stay in the town. Cleobury Mortimer Footpath Association, Stotty Strollers and Kinlet Countryside Group lead guided walks throughout the year and there are selfguided walks available too.
Cleobury Mortimer Golf Club is on your doorstep and The West Midlands Safari Park and the Severn Valley Railway are also easily accessible.
Yet it is the landscape that stands out most of all. Beyond the town the Wyre Forest Visitor Centre guides your discovery of its area and the Clee Hills provide endless possibilities for independent exploration.
Walk to the summit of Brown Clee, look due east and there is nothing higher until you reach the Urals.
A town with a strong connection with its farming community, the Cleobury Mortimer Farmers Market is held on the third Saturday of every month. The market brings together a wide variety of local produce for consumers to enjoy. You can meet the farmers who have raised the animals and are responsible for the production of delicious vegetables and organic food. The market also features local retailers showcasing their products.
SNAPSHOTS OF MUSIC HISTORY
Aunique piece of entertainment history is now available to own from a notable photograph library in Shrewsbury.
Archive Shrewsbury is now selling photographs from the analogue archives of former media photograph agency, London Features International Ltd.
Established in 1969 and once a serious contender in the celebrity photo arena, LFI was a large scale agency with bases in New York and London. Its analogue archives, held by a private collector since 2015, feature over 250,000 historic images of some of the most iconic musicians, bands and celebrities of all time.
Archive Shrewsbury, has secured a unique opportunity for individuals to acquire photographs from the original archives of this former behemoth of the entertainment industry. Each black and white photograph comes from the analogue archives of the now defunct agency, some never before seen, all with the original annotations from the company’s files.
This is an exciting opportunity to own an original photograph from a pre-digital age. Staff are so excited that the private collector has made these photographs available for sale… The unique and exciting thing about these images is that it really is like holding a piece of history. These photographs form the analogue library of a media agency that would have been one of the only sources of celebrity images of the time. Now, with the advent of the mobile phone, a digital image can be sent around the world instantly, so there’s something nostalgic, romantic even, about a photograph that would have been captured and disseminated in a very different way… and of your favourite artist or musician of the day. That tangible thrill f holding an original photogra p ph from the archives of o a bygone era, that is what w Archive Images/ The Archive/ A Archive is all about. For music fans, nostalgia buffs or those looking for an eclectic gift for a loved one, there h is i a chance to own a truly special photograph.
The library would have formed the basis of all available media images of the biggest stars of the time, but not all photographs would have been used, leaving some unique images unseen in the archives.
There are in excess of 20,000 photographs from artists as diverse as George Michael to Meatloaf, Fleetwood Mac to The Beatles, Dudley Moore to Sir John Gielgud.
Opening times in store are Tuesday to Saturday, 10am – 3pm. Tel: 07827 316001.
w a d fa o of
Archive Shrewsbury - an analogue archive nowfor sale...
Owna piece ofentertainmenthistory from a private collectionofuniquephotographsnow availableto purchase in Shrewsbury
• Blackand white originalphotographsoffamouscelebrities • Contact sheets • 35mmslides Choose from over 200,000 photographs and slides, many are unique single copy images (not reproductions)
